Chapter Text
It didn't take long before the elevator doors opened. Joe stepped out as the first one so the paramedics could help Lucia. Because Joe didn't see where he was going, he bumped into someone.
Joe: "Nicky, what are you doing here?"
Nicky: "I could ask you the same thing."
Both men stared at each other.
Nicky: "Were you in the elevator with my Little Sister?"
Joe: "Your Little Sister? You mean Lucia is your Little Sister?"
Nicky: "That is what I'm saying; were you in the elevator with my Little Sister?"
Before Joe could say anything, Lucia asked one of the paramedics to stop between the two men.
Lucia: "Glad to see you were missing me, Nicky."
Nicky looked down at the bundle in Lucia's arms.
Nicky: "You had the baby, how?"
Lucia: "And once again, you have proved to me that you didn't pay attention in Lamaze classes. Yes, I had the baby and yes, I couldn't have done it without my new friend, Joe. Have you met Joe?"
Nicky stared at Joe.
Nicky: "Yeah, I know him. Very well."
Lucia looked at Nicky and then at Joe.
Lucia: "That's very good to know because that will make my job so much easier."
Nicky: "What do you mean?"
Lucia: "Since you two already know each other, you're going to do this: you're going to say yes to Joe when he asks you to go out on a date after he tells you off. Do I want to know what that is about?"
Joe and Nicky at the same time: "NO!!"
Nicky: "No, that is between us."
Lucia: "Fair enough. And I expect you two to get married within a year."
Nicky looked at Joe and then at Lucia.
Nicky: "You can't tell me what to do, Lucia. I'm a grown man."
Lucia: "I still need to see that, so date and then a wedding."
Nicky: "Lucia, I...."
Lucia gave Nicky one look, which made him stop talking.
Lucia: "Glad we agreed. Now, give Joe the keys to your flat so he can take a shower while you go to the hospital with Noel and me. When you get home, you apologise to Joe and then the date."
Nicky: "I got the message."
Nicky handed the keys to Joe.
Nicky: "Number 23B."
Joe nodded as he took the keys. Then, Nicky took a closer look at his nephew.
Nicky: "Serious, Joe. You just had to wrap Noel in an Ajax football shirt."
Joe: "Well, sorry, Mr. Who doesn't know a great football club when he sees one. I worked with what I had and..."
Noel made a noise, making Joe and Nicky look at him.
Lucia: "Thanks for the help with your Uncles, Noel."
Lucia kissed Noel on his head.
Lucia: "Instead of being mad at Joe, you should be grateful for what he did for us, Nicky. He was there for me when I felt most scared and alone."
Nicky knew Lucia was right, so Nicky walked over to Joe before he hugged and kissed him.
Nicky: "Thanks, Joe. For everything you did for Lucia and Noel."
Nicky kissed Joe again.
Joe: "I'm glad I could help, but I couldn't have done it without Lucia."
The paramedic told them they had to leave.
Nicky: "Please stay until I'm back again. Then we'll talk, okay?"
Joe: "Okay. I promise."
Joe hugged Lucia the best he could.
Joe: "See you soon."
Lucia: "I will keep you to that promise."
Joe waved at them before he picked up their stuff in the elevator. Then Joe found the flat, and after showering, he curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
Joe slept until Nicky returned after 2 PM. After thanking Joe for all the help with Lucia, Nicky asked Joe what he wanted as a reward. It took less than a second before Joe replied he wanted sex, which was more than fine with Nicky. Instead of a desk, this time Nicky took Joe over one of the armchairs before they ended up in Nicky's bed, where they had sex until they both ran out of stamina. They both knew they should get some sleep, but instead, they started to talk about football, which led to another fight.
When Lucia found out that Joe and Nicky were about to cancel their date because they had been fighting again, she asked them if it was really worth risking the chance of falling in love with each other because of football. Joe and Nicky agreed with Lucia and went on their date, which became the start of a long life together with each other, filled with love.
When Noel started playing football three years later, Joe and Nicky decided to become supporting Uncles instead of fighting about which football club Noel should play for or which football club was his favourite. Joe and Nicky would never admit that it was Lucia's long speech and her holding a rolling pin while talking was the reason why they never fought about football in front of Noel.
Joe and Nicky never told anyone that after they got married, they still fought about football, but only in private and whenever they needed to reminisce about how they met.